behaviourism and the cognitive revolution Flashcards
(20 cards)
What problem did early psychology face?
Introspection was subjective and unobservable.
What was behaviourism a reaction to?
The unobservable nature of introspection.
What did behaviourism focus on?
Observable behaviour, not internal mental states
Who discovered classical conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov — dogs learned through association
What is classical conditioning
Learning where a neutral stimulus gains power to evoke a response.
Who formulated the “Law of Effect”?
Edward Thorndike — behaviour depends on consequences.
What is Thorndike’s Law of Effect?
Behaviours followed by rewards are more likely to recur.
Who is the founder of behaviourism?
John B. Watson
What did Watson believe about emotion?
Emotions (except fear, rage, love) are conditioned
What is operant conditioning?
Learning where behaviour is shaped by consequences (Skinner).
What is shaping in operant conditioning?
Rewarding successive steps toward a target behaviour.
What did Skinner believe about behaviour?
All behaviour could be explained by operant conditioning.
List two major criticisms of behaviourism.
Ignores purpose and internal processes.
Cannot explain language or higher cognition.
What is Chomsky’s view on language?
Humans have an innate Language Acquisition Device.
What did the cognitive revolution bring?
Focus on internal mental processes; mind as an information processor.
What inspired cognitive psychology?
The development of computers in the 1950s–60s.
What is cognition?
The way information is processed for memory, thinking, and knowing.
What is cognitive psychology?
Study of mental processes inferred from behaviour.
What did Steven Pinker argue?
The mind has universal mechanisms and is not a blank slate.
What was Alan Turing’s contribution?
Developed the Turing Machine — foundational for AI and cognitive models.
